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Oct 08, 2014

Federal Minimum Wage Increase Would Benefit 25M Workers: Study

The call to increase the federal minimum wage from the current $7.25 to $10.10 is nearing completion, with the U.S. Department of Labor having proposed a rule last week in response to President Barack Obama’s executive order he signed earlier this year. According to Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez, the wage hike would “lift 2 million out of poverty and affect 28 million other people.” Although this is the case, a certain non-profit organization has found that even more workers would benefit from the proposed increase.

Apparently, a new study was released about estimation on the number of workers who are going to be positively affected by the federal minimum wage hike. The study, which was commissioned by Oxfam America, assessed that approximately 25 million workers or 19 percent of the total number of workers all over the United States are expected to benefit from the $10.10 increase.

Said non-profit organization, which works to find solutions against poverty and injustice throughout the world, established the study by taking a closer look at the overall situation of the nation’s domestic poverty. According to the study, the seven-year span without a raise—the current federal wage was passed in 2007 during the administration of then-President George W. Bush—left millions of low-income workers faltering, without any hope of getting past poverty.

Basically, the non-profit organization’s study, which was released last June 11, was a detailed report entitled “Working Poor in America,” filled with interactive maps showing where most of the low-wage workers are found across the nation, among other relative information. The report was made to educate Congress in prioritizing the need to raise the minimum wage.

The press statement of the study’s release even noted that in 2007, the House of Representatives passed the $7.25 wage proposal by a 315-116 vote, “with 82 Republicans voting for it.” Although that is the case, today’s Republicans in both the House and the Senate largely oppose the President’s recommendation. However, last year’s poll by both ABC News and the Washington Post saw 61 percent of Americans wanting to see the raise happen.

Meanwhile, numerous states have already passed laws that further increased or would further increase their own minimum wages. A Los Angeles labor lawyer mentioned that California is expected to increase its minimum wage next month from $8.00 to $9.00, and then to $10.00 in 2016.

Wayne Morrise is a passionate legal writer. I focused on writing about employment law-related contents in California. Aspiring novelist. If you are looking for more legal contents regarding employment, then you may refer to this site, http://www.employmentattorneyservices.com/faq